The International Laboratory Accreditation Cooperation (ILAC) The International Accreditation Forum (IAF)

Accreditation - Facilitating Global Trade

by Venkat Balakrishnan ITU-UNIDO Regional Forum on Sustainable Conformity Assessment Yangon, Myanmar, 25-27 November 2013

Accreditation in the TBT Agreement

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6.1.1 adequate and enduring technical competence of the relevant conformity assessment bodies in the exporting Member, so that confidence in the continued reliability of their conformity assessment results can exist; in this regard, verified compliance, for instance through

accreditation

, with relevant guides or recommendations issued by international standardizing bodies shall be taken into account as an indication of adequate technical competence;”

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Accreditation to Support the Market Accreditation Bodies Accreditation service Product/ service Market Conforming product/service Requirements Purchasers Regulators Suppliers Trade Organizations & Authorities Demands for competent conformity assessment Demands for facilitating trade 3

ILAC and IAF

ILAC and IAF—global networks of conformity assessment accreditation bodies

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Recognition of competent conformity assessment activities through global multi-lateral mutual recognition arrangements Harmonization of conformity assessment practices Promotion of accredited conformity assessment as an effective mechanism for providing confidence in goods and services 4

Global Vision

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Tested, inspected or certified once, accepted everywhere'

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“Accredited once, accepted everywhere”

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Regional Cooperation Bodies

The IAF and ILAC Arrangements are structured to build on existing and developing regional MLAs/MRAs established around the world

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The IAF MLA recognizes EA, PAC, IAAC The ILAC MRA recognizes EA, APLAC, IAAC

European Cooperation for Accreditation (EA) Pacific Accreditation Cooperation (PAC) Inter-American Accreditation Cooperation (IAAC) Asia Pacific Laboratory Accreditation Cooperation (APLAC) Southern African Development Community Accreditation (SADCA) African Accreditation Cooperation (AFRAC) Arab Accreditation Cooperation (ARAC)

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Coverage of the ILAC MRA

(September 2013)

ILAC MRA Signatories ILAC Associate Members ILAC Affiliate Members

Coverage of the IAF MLA

(Sep 2013)

IAF MLA Signatories IAF Members not yet Signatories

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ILAC MRA & IAF MLA

The Arrangements, through peer evaluation, provide confidence that ABs are competent

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ISO/IEC 17011

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IAF-ILAC A series documents

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The Arrangements provide confidence that accredited CABs operate to the same standard 9

ILAC MRA & IAF MLA

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Signatories must recognize the certificates issued by CABs accredited by all other members of the Arrangements

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This recognition and acceptance removes technical barriers to international trade (TBT) by eliminating the need for multiple certifications 10

Benefits of ILAC and IAF Accredited Conformity Assessment

• Confidence in accredited conformity assessment results • Facilitation of cross border trade 11

USA Specifiers of the Arrangements

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Consumer Product Safety Commission

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Federal Highway Administration

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U.S. Coast Guard

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General Services Administration

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Department of Defense

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Nuclear Regulatory Commission

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Food and Drug Administration

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Environmental Protection Agency

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Consumer Product Safety Commission Statement by Scott Hey, program manager of the CPSC Office of Hazard Identification and Reduction on the benefits of the ILAC MRA : “The MRA has had a tremendous impact on our group. With all the products from manufacturers around the world – cribs and bunk beds from China and the United Kingdom, bike helmets and baby walkers from Taiwan and Italy – knowing that they have all been through an accepted standard of testing from an accredited lab gives us a greater level of confidence in those products. It provides a sense of consistency in quality.”

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U.S. Coast Guard Statement by Kurt Heinz, chief, life saving and fire safety, U.S. Coast Guard on the benefit of the ILAC MRA : “Obviously, avoiding duplicative tests saves a lot of time . A lot of the safety materials we use in ship construction, like the fire-resistant coatings we use on bulkheads and other areas, are manufactured in Europe and Asia, so being able to accept and depend on test results from labs in those countries makes sense. And, less time spent doing routine approval work translates into more time spent on policy and standard development – which is a good thing.

”

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Environmental Protection Agency Statement by Eamon Monaghan, Program Integrity Lead, ENERGYSTAR on the reason for using the ILAC MRA : “We didn’t have to develop and implement our own set of rules. Any kind of agency-specific rule creates costs or hassles for industry , and that was something we really wanted to avoid. We currently certify products in 65 categories, many of which are certified and tested overseas. Referencing the ILAC MRA took the EPA off the hook for developing a lot of criteria for labs or conducting our own lab oversight. And, by working with only ILAC signatories, we have the confidence that the labs have been appropriately assessed. We now recognize 27 ILAC-signatory accreditation bodies around the world.

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KORUS US-Korea Trade Agreement

KORUS ARTICLE 9.5: CONFORMITY ASSESSMENT PROCEDURES 3. Each Party shall

accredit

, approve, license, or otherwise recognize conformity assessment bodies in the territory of the other Party on terms no less favorable than those it accords to conformity assessment bodies in its territory.

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Benefits for government and regulators

• Flexible alternative to regulation • Efficient monitoring 17

Benefits for industry

• Greater acceptance of products and services opening up markets • Avoiding the costs of multiple testing, inspection or certification • Efficient management of suppliers 18

Benefits for consumers

• Public confidence in goods and services despite complex global marketplace • Reduces product failures 19

Contact Details

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